Cracks
by Macx
Summary: movie fic. Tony Stark is supposed to be able to create a space bridge. He's a genius, he's brilliant, he's one of the five Primes, the Allspark reprogrammed his DNA... so why is he failing? Part of the Imperfection verse.
1. Chapter 1

I'm not dead. Really. Just pretty busy with a new development job-wise, so fanfic took a back seat. BUT: yep, still writing. I've finished a few more fics and hit a road block with another. I decided to post the first part of this one and see if anyone's still reading ;)

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TITLE: Cracks, part 1  
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
FEEDBACK: Loved  
SUMMARY: Tony Stark is supposed to be able to bridge space. He's a genius, he's brilliant, he's a Prime, the Allspark reprogrammed his DNA... so why can't he do what his so-called heritage is? As always, Rodimus Prime is right with him in the middle of it... wherever 'it' is. It's what guardians and baby-sitters are for, right?

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The month had been a rainy one. February had hit an all-time low in temperatures and a high in precipitation. Fog clung to the bluffs of Point Dume and the weather was not going to get better in the next few days if one believed the forecasts.

Not that it was of much interest to the owner of the only building on this stretch of coast line.

The home of billionaire Anthony Edward Stark was a vast, sprawling building on the rocky outcroppings of the West Coast, outside LA. It was perched over Point Dume, overlooking the Pacific, still close enough to drive into LA in a moderate amount of time. Since Tony usually took his sports cars or flew, that time was always shortened to a third of normal driving time. Stark owned the whole massive rock foundation his home stood on, and then some. This was as private and exclusive as it got.

Held all in white, with a huge vista across the ocean, the mansion appeared both stylish and futuristic. The protrusion to the side of the ocean looked like a flying saucer had docked at the building, and even the massive supports appeared slender in their pristine whiteness.

Below the mansion, inside the massive rock it stood on, was a whole other world. Not only did the sub-terranean levels hold Tony's sports car collection, as well as his garage and workshop, it also housed the Iron Man armor.

A loud bang echoed through the huge workshop/garage area, followed by a curse. The lights flickered and Iron Man was flung across the training mats and right into a wall.

"I doubt it will work the third time, sir," Jarvis could be heard as the armored figure climbed to his feet. "There's no charm to be expected."

"Wise-ass," Tony growled as he opened the visor. His face was covered in sweat.

"It was a simple and very clear observation," the AI replied evenly.

"Keep it to yourself, Jarvis."

"Very well."

Stark glared at his AI, but he couldn't fault Jarvis' logic and observation. It wasn't working. Something wasn't right. He had done it before, he had bridged space, and he had opened a portal. Well, he had opened the portal, but not gone through. It had been like a window. Look through, watch, don't interact.

But he had the ability and he simply had to find the right trigger.

"You might be interested in the scheduled appointments you missed, sir."

"I'm not."

"Very well." Jarvis managed to sound just the right side of condescending without being insulting. He could be that, too, Tony knew. He knew it only too well.

"Pepper can reschedule."

"I believe she already has done so and she also cancelled your spa session this weekend. She might also have called Miss Monica Le Bevere and told her you're currently suffering from some unspecified virus."

Tony grimaced. His only date this week and Pepper managed to be vengeful to the hilt once again. Oh well.

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The next few weeks had Tony stretch himself thin between his multiple jobs, mainly as the CEO of Stark Industries and its representative. Then there was the not-so-small matter of him being a Prime, which brought with it more bureaucracy, simply of the alien kind. Optimus was trying not to burden his four co-leaders with too much of the daily runs, but like they had told him before: that's what they were here for. Sam had his two jobs – engineer and Prime - Will was looking for anything to do to be useful – even if it meant doing interviews and show-and-tell at Nellis. Rodimus was usually the first to get more work from their senior Prime, but he didn't complain.

Neither did Tony, because it meant he was sans babysitter for at least a while.

So when the silver Audi R8 rolled into the underground garage, Tony gave a silent groan and pointedly ignored his visitor. Rodimus linked up to Jarvis, saying his hello – something Tony felt through Extremis in the back of his mind – then settled down without any further comment.

An hour into the visit, Tony finally looked up and scowled at the silent vehicle. "What?" he demanded.

"I didn't say anything."

"I can hear you thinking."

"Then maybe you should stop uplinking."

Caught, Tony tried to hide his embarrassment. It had become such second nature to immediately log onto the mech, he didn't even notice any more. He didn't cut the Extremis connection, though. It would be like confessing he had had his hand in the cookie jar.

He grimaced. Now there was an image.

"But since you're now willing to talk," Rodimus went on. "Mind updating me on your space-bridging attempts?"

_Jarvis, you rotten collection of wires and bolts!_

Of course the AI would inform the mech of Tony's exercises in futility. Of course Roddy would latch onto it like a pitbull onto a tasty leg.

"Got the abilities, need to train," Tony answered dismissively.

"I understand the idea behind it, Tony, but it's dangerous to do it alone. Neither Will nor Sam were ever on their own with trying to understand and train their powers."

"And here you are, volunteering again?" Tony snapped back.

The silver car transformed and Rodimus kneeled down, blue optics intent. "You never ask for help, so yes. I'm here."

Tony stared back at him glaring, angry. He didn't need help! He wasn't stupid, he wasn't a rookie, he knew what he was doing!

Ri-ight. Not so much. Actually, he mostly knew what he was doing, until it came to the whole teleportation thingy. That's where he drew a blank and that's where the dangerous fun was.

"Let me help," Rodimus offered.

"How do you want to help!" Tony demanded. "You can't open portals! I can! At least I should!"

The mech shrugged lightly. "As you so often noted: I can nag. I can be your baby-sitter. I can be a pain in the butt."

He snorted. "Everyone has their special abilities."

It got him a grin that was almost human and as close to impish as a mechanoid life-form could get.

So it was settled. Tony knew he couldn't kick out his fellow Prime – though Rodimus would probably leave if he demanded it. They were friends and he trusted the mech; more than anyone else before.

The blue optics darkened briefly, as if Rodimus was aware of his thoughts, then he settled with his back against the garage wall.

"Now?" Tony asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Don't tell me you weren't working on your portal abilities the whole time."

Caught. _Damnit._

Tony glared, then went back to the computer where he had run all kinds of scenarios that might make him access the portals.

Rodimus smirked.

Stark shot him an evil look.

And then he went back to his scenarios.

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Rodimus watched Tony's attempts at triggering whatever had enabled him to open a portal the first time again and again. His human friend and fellow Prime was frustrated and tired and close to throwing something very expensive against the wall. Right now he was too bleary-eyed to make sense of anything, but he doggedly refused to give up or give in. Rodimus doubted that any more coffee would help, but there was no talking rationally to Tony.

"It's not working!" Stark exploded, eyes ablaze, exhaustion briefly pushed away. "I tried everything!"

"Maybe it's Will after all?" Rodimus hazarded a guess.

"No. I didn't draw any of his energy." Tony tapped a finger against his temple. "I know. Extremis provides me with the full 3-D surround sound vision recall fest. I didn't do anything with Will."

"I hope not," the mech tried to lighten his mood.

"Not funny, Roddy."

Tony stalked over to the wide open space that was his test area, grabbed the Iron Man suit's helmet, and donned it. He was still in full gear, but he moved as if he wasn't wearing tons of armor at all. Years of handling the suit and the fact that it was now far beyond the armor he had created as the Mark III, had given him a grace most soldiers in body armor still lacked.

They were off to another round of testing. He had doubts that it would work this time, but as long as Tony was reasonably awake there was no stopping him.

Rodimus felt the Extremis open wide, their connection crackling slightly. It was like a final attempt to force something to happen and Rodimus watched it cautiously. Extremis was looking around, like a predator, ready to snatch whatever snippet might be useful for the trigger. It would strike and conquer – if there was something to conquer.

::Maybe you're trying too hard, Tony:: Rodimus sent. ::You need rest. Give it time. No one's pressuring you into this::

No one but Tony himself. This was a challenge and there was no challenge on this planet the billionaire hadn't met head-on if necessary and dealt with. The inability to use his abilities as he should be able to was a slap into his face and he wouldn't just stand down and take it easy. Tony was a genius and he would figure it out, no matter what.

With a growl of annoyance Tony slammed the connection shut for the first time since the mech's arrival – only for Extremis to open it up wide again.

Rodimus was stunned. That had never happened before.

Tony turned to look at the other Prime, clearly startled despite the faceless mask that gave no emotions away.

Again he disconnected and again the uplink restarted, connecting the spark and the arc reactor, a mech and a human mind.

"Uh, Tony…?" Rodimus tried as he felt the safety mechanisms click off one by one.

"Shit, shit, shit," Tony hissed, his mind racing to get control of the hybrid nanites, but something was happening.

Something that wasn't good.

And then Rodimus felt it rip into his spark and bury itself there. He was too surprised to react and the shock froze him for a split second. Everything went into overload and he fought to stay afloat in a wave of pure energy.

Around him the universe cracked.

And opened.

tbc... 


	2. Chapter 2

  
It was like looking through a million windows, seeing a million places, and within that split-second between terror and awe he realized that they had found the trigger.

The world slammed back into place as he was hurled through one of the cracks and he was no longer at Point Dume. He wasn't even on Earth any more.

Rodimus looked around, his mind trying to fit what he saw with what he last remembered of a world that might be lost forever. Everywhere blast marks ruined the smooth metal surface and half-destroyed buildings and blackened skeletal fingers rose up into the night. In the distance he thought he heard an explosion.

Cybertron.

He was… on Cybertron?

But… but…

He reached out and touched the building nearest to him. The sensation he got was weird. Like it was covered in something silky and alien to his sensors.

As if it wasn't real.

Looking around, Rodimus saw the very familiar red-and-gold figure of Iron Man.

Just standing there.

Eye slits glowing so brightly, it was disconcerting.

"Tony?"

No reaction.

::Tony?::

A tremor ran through the figure and now Rodimus discovered that the arc reactor was flickering.

Not good. So not good!

Light exploded out of the arc reactor, encompassing the armored figure. Lightning crackled over the gleaming read and golden exterior. Energy that was off the chart accumulated around Iron Man, forming a bubble.

The lightning hissed and sparked, then erupted off the armor, stabbing into the sky.

Around them, the world blurred.

"Tony!" Rodimus yelled and reached for his friend.

Something stabbed sharply into his own spark and he faltered.

Tony collapsed.

Rodimus caught him quickly, just before his spark stuttered and he groaned softly.

The world cracked again and this time he saw the cracks, running all around them.

::Cool, huh?:: came Tony's weak voice.

"This is you?" the mech managed.

::Kinda. With you. What a fucked up world::

Roddy felt a distant tug. From one second to another he was overwhelmed with the power drain that started without a warning. His awareness faded quickly and he fought against the blackness threatening to swallow him.

And then Cybertron was gone and the world coalesced into something more organic, still familiar, still known.

Wind howled around them and Rodimus held the limp figure of Tony stark close, his own systems trembling badly. Whatever Stark had done, it had drained them both and his spark felt raw. Systems were threatening to shut down and Rodimus hunched over, trying to protect his unconscious friend from the elements around them. The winds were strong, blasting sand and debris at them. The mech was unable to transform, mostly because he couldn't get Tony into the cab of his car form with the armor still on. But also because couldn't risk losing more precious energy on needless things.

So he waited, slowly shutting down non-essential systems, hoping that the weather would clear up soon.

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When Tony came to it was to the sound of howling and irregular bangs against metal. Faint, muffled bangs. The howling wasn't faint, though. It was loud.

He took stock.

He was inside the armor. Check.

The systems were down. Check.

The arc reactor was functional, but low on power. Check.

Extremis was strained and recovering, but not down. Curious.

Using the hybrid addition to his body he powered up the Iron Man suit and the HUD was like the best thing he had ever seen. With some difficulty Extremis linked him into the next best satellite and he determined that he was in Australia, of all places. Actually quite close to the Autobot base.

Huh.

How had that happened?

Memories were sketchy, despite recall from Extremis, and most of it made not much sense. It was actually uncomfortable to use the nanites right now. Whatever had them so depleted and limp, it had been a lot!

Cracks.

He blinked.

Cracks?

Extremis replayed the moment again and again. Safety measures had dropped and suddenly there had been fine lines around him. Not many, but some. One had been the strongest and without really thinking about it, Tony had reached out and stepped through.

Hot damn! Cracks! He had finally seen the cracks in the fabric of the universe, the portals, and he had used them!

Sitting up abruptly, Tony banged his head against something unyielding and metallic, groaning as his head took the collision unkindly.

::Stay down:: Rodimus whispered in his head.

Okay, that sounded… bad. Weak. Depleted. Bad shape.

::Roddy?::

::Tony:: was all the mech said.

Worried, Stark ran a scan of the immediate vicinity and he cursed softly. They weren't just in the middle of nowhere, in a sand storm. Rodimus sat hunched over Iron Man, almost all systems down, his spark in a fully protected state. Defenseless.

::Hardly:: came the whispered reply.

_Liar_, Tony thought. Extremis had linked them again and he knew how badly depleted his friend was. He wasn't in such a good state either. The armor's systems had taken quite a hit overload wise. The HUD, while functional, was below par, and Extremis was getting very uncomfortable to use. He had to switch it off in the near future, give himself time to recover as well.

::Power down:: Rodimus murmured. ::Storm's bad::

Yeah. It was. The sky was red from sand and dust. The satellite Tony had logged into showed him a brown smudge where they currently were. Nothing and no one but them were here. All fauna had hunkered down and the human population had been warned about this. The Autobot base was locked down.

They were on their own.

In Australia.

When he had been in California a mere minute ago?

::Portal:: Rodimus could be heard.

::Shush::

It got him a wave of tired amusement.

Tony settled into the secure cocoon made up of metal fingers and tried to make sense of the events. He had triggered… his abilities? Right? He had gated or ported or whatever. He had bridged space. He had taken a huge step, been on Cybertron for a few seconds, and then… pain. He had felt like something had torn him apart and only the familiar pulse of Rodimus Prime's spark had given him an anchor to hold on to.

He had triggered. Hot damn, he had triggered!

::Idea how?:: Rodimus asked.

::None::

Well, maybe. Just before everything had turned upside down he had reached for the most powerful source of energy next to his arc reactor. A source of power Extremis had provided a direct conduit to.

::Your spark::

::Noticed::

Tony muttered a curse. ::Didn't want that. I have no idea why… or how…::

::Extremis::

Rodimus sounded really exhausted and Tony wished he would just go into recharge, but he understood his guardian's tenaciousness. They had no idea what was out there in the storm with them. Tony wasn't defenseless, but he wouldn't be able to protect Rodimus if the mech was a lump of metal.

::Maybe. Well, yeah, most likely. Extremis and whatever weirdness there is that's called an ability.::

Tony couldn't see through the fingers closed around him, but he could hear the wind. The storm. It was a whopper, all right.

::If my ability means I have to drain you each time, the ancient Primes can go and take a hike:: he grumbled.

::Accident::

::Accident my ass!::

Soft amusement touched him. Tony calmed down and felt around the link to his fellow Prime, trying to assess the damage he had done. It didn't look or feel bad. He had simply taken a lot and Rodimus needed to replenish it. That would take time.

::Distance:: the mech told him.

::You mean because I ended up on Cybertron? Well, we both did. Looks like the first step I take is always a big one.:: He smiled darkly. Part of him was terrified by it. Another part, the scientist, wanted to know how exactly he had managed that. ::And now we're in Australia. How could I even end up on your planet if I've never been there?::

There was no answer. Rodimus didn't have the energy for it.

::Yeah, okay, I'll accept that maybe, because I've seen your world before, we ported there.::

He would have to puzzle about this when he was back home. Sure, he had had enough time to browse the libraries, see images of the alien world, but to imagine himself there through a portal? Just like that? And it wasn't like they had really been there either. A step further than the last time when he and Will had merely gazed through a window. This time there had been physical contact for a few seconds.

Something banged against Rodimus' armor and Tony did a quick remote check.

::Fine:. Rodimus reassured him, still struggling with words. ::Had worse::

Tony had to take his word for it. He felt the other mind slip deeper, away from awareness, and he gave his friend a nudge into that direction.

::Rest:: he told him. ::No danger::

Rodimus murmured something in Cybertronian, then he was suddenly off-line. Tony smiled and let himself drift off as well, but he wasn't sleeping. His mind raced through the Extremis-enhanced memories.

He had triggered.

He had used Rodimus' own energy for it.

He needed to find out how he had done it, how to prevent it from happening again. And he had to try again – without Roddy this time.

tbc...  



	3. Chapter 3

The storm lasted through most of the day and half the night. It gave Tony time to doze off, rudely awakened each time something was flung against his protective cocoon. It was mostly dead plant life in form of uprooted trees and sometimes metal plates from old mines that had been picked up by the storm. When it finally slowed down, Tony felt along the link and carefully gave Rodimus a wake-up call. The young Prime came on-line almost reluctantly, but he quickly ran up his systems when his mind caught up with recent events.

::Tony?:: he asked, scanning.

::I'm fine. Better than you. You need energon, my friend::

::I'll be okay. We're not far from base:: Rodimus did sound a lot more alert, but he was far from okay.

Tony knocked against one silver finger. ::Let me up? And out?::

The finger cocoon opened and he slipped out, catching himself as his legs buckled a little. A steadying hand bigger than himself helped him.

Sand was all around him. Everything was colored in orange and brown and light red. The sky, the horizon, the ground. The air was still moving restlessly and small dust clouds were raised across the desert.

"Whoa," Tony muttered.

Rodimus got to his feet, shedding sand, scanning over the desert. His normally bright and deep silver coloring was nothing but smudged browns and streaks of red. Tony didn't want to know how much sand had to be inside the armor plating.

::A lot:: Rodimus commented.

He glared at him through the mask. But he didn't cut the uplink. Right now it was important to monitor his friend. Tony was responsible for Roddy's condition; it had been his fault.

Blue optics, strangely bright in the worn looking, sand and dust covered features, regarded him steadily.

"Anything?" Tony asked, looking around himself to get them off this topic.

"No."

They were alone. Tony caught the impression of sand clogging systems and itching along nodes that needed to be cleaned. It was nothing major and could be accomplished quickly, but it was bothersome.

"You're doing this on purpose," he grumbled, feeling a sympathetic itch himself.

"Doing what?" Rodimus asked innocently.

Stark muttered something very censored and uncomplimentary that had the other Prime chuckle. The mech transformed and opened a door.

"Let's drive to the base. We'll handle the next step there."

Tony sent the armor into subspace and climbed into the sports car. They drove off slower than usual, heading for the only place of civilization within several hundred miles of desert. Rodimus was already contacting the base commander, Cary Monash.

Stark used Extremis to call home, getting an earful from Pepper about disappearing just like that. His apologies and explanation about a portal opening were met with some rather unprintable exclamations from his personal assistant.

"I guess flowers won't appease her this time," he sighed when she was done and had hung up on him. "A trip to the Manolo online store might do the trick. At least she won't lop my head off at first sight."

"I believe she mentioned London or Milan once," Rodimus told him as they bounced over the hard desert floor, kicking up sand in a big cloud.

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Milan fashion week?"

"She would deserve it."

He rolled his eyes.

"You know she would."

Of course Pepper deserved everything because she put up with a boss like him, despite her own life happening around her. And Tony would take her. As a surprise. Maybe to London.

"Milan," Rodimus insisted.

"Aren't you pushy," he grumbled. "And where do you want me to take you? The Geneva car show?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"In your dreams, Roddy."

"I would deserve it."

"You would be bored out of your mind. How about you'll get the all expenses car wash of your dreams?"

"You're cheap sometimes."

"Cheap? I'm cheap? I paid for your sorry carcass back when you first limped into my garage!" Tony exploded. "You lived in car luxury! You got a wash and wax every week, your body works were first rate. And do I have to remind you that you still leech off my energy bill."

"Suck it up, Stark."

A particular deep pot hole had Tony yelp. "If I end up shorter than before, it's your fault."

"Like I said, suck it up. This is your fault anyway."

"How is it my fault that you insist on sticking around while I experiment with porting? You could leave any time you want, mister." Tony glared at the dash.

"And have you end up who knows where without support?"

"I can very well take care of my own!"

Another bounce had Tony's head collide with the roof.

"You're doing this on purpose!" he accused, rubbing his head.

"It's a desert, Tony, not a highway."

Whatever Stark was about to retort, the arrival of a Scout helicopter had him stop and crane his neck to peer out the windscreen.

"Oh, company. Looks like we've been found."

Rodimus chuckled. "Hard not to find us. I've been pinging the base nonstop. They're asking if we're okay and how we got here."

"Yes, we are. And no idea," Tony answered, waving at the Scout. "I want coffee. And a sandwich. Not picky. Food of any kind would be nice."

And a bed. Coffee, a bed, food. More coffee.

Staying in contact with the Scout helicopter they headed for the base.

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The news about Tony and Roddy's Cybertron Adventure quickly made rounds and Tony found himself answering a million questions from Optimus, demanding to know how, when, where and why. He had had a flight from Australia base to Nevada base to catch some rest, but after that it was a non-stop interview session. Coupled with Pepper's worried demands to know how he was, if he was all right, where the heck he had been and when he was coming home.

Right now he had to deal with Prime business first. SI had to wait. He had a board of directors for that. And Pepper.

Tony tried to recall all details, even the tiniest, and Rodimus helped out with his own recollections. It wasn't much and Extremis had informed him that they had spent 3.2 seconds in the other place, not a nano-second longer. It had felt like ages, though.

Cybertron was still trapped in the reality bubble as far as anyone knew, and it was lost in space. Search parties had been unable to pick up a single trace of the metal planet.

Now Tony had been there.

At least for a few seconds before he had been violently thrown back to Earth. Because that was what had happened. He had run into the reality bubble and it hadn't allowed the breach. He had bounced back after a short delay.

"I can't even be sure I was really there," Tony told the senior Prime. "We know Cybertron is inside this reality bubble. Maybe it was a shadow, an afterimage."

They were in private, just him and Optimus and Roddy. Three Primes, no outsiders. Tony felt still tired from whatever he had done and wherever he had been. From the looks he received from both mechs, he looked even worse than he felt. He had had enough coffee for a week. The mountain of sandwiches he had eaten hadn't been too bad, but he was still hungry.

::If you're good, you can have chocolate::

Tony shot his guardian a narrow-eyed glare. ::You have chocolate?::

Roddy chuckled. ::With Sam around, we all learn to keep some on us.::

"Or maybe you were there," Optimus said, interrupting their silent conversation.

"For all the good it did any of us."

The ancient optics regarded him solemnly. "If you really made it there is hope, Tony."

"If, Optimus."

The tall mech nodded slowly, accepting the cautious remark. "I'd advise not to try jumping to Cybertron again, though."

"Not happening. Trust me. The experience was enough for now. And I've a babysitter to think about, too." He winked.

Optimus chuckled softly. "There's that."

But Tony could feel the hope coming off the ancient mech. Hope to see his home again one day, hope that Cybertron had survived. He couldn't give anyone true certainty because not even Extremis could tell him if he had really been there or not. It might have been an afterimage. Or he had bounced off the reality bubble.

Whatever.

After Optimus was done questioning him he was back in Ratchet's clutches, who had already scanned the human Prime upside down and inside out. Rodimus hadn't fared any better. His systems had been checked and rechecked, but aside from the power drain there was nothing wrong with him. Ratchet also couldn't detect any foreign particles on his exo-shell.

Had they been on Cybertron? If yes, why no foreign particles? Why no energy signatures left behind on Roddy's systems?

Hook had joined in and they went over the data once more, asked Tony to run them through the first steps of his successful porting again and again, and in the end Ratchet had him attach sensors to various armor parts to keep an optic on readings.

Tony was close to running after two hours of nonstop experiments on his person.

After five hours he had struck out and given the mechs a piece of his mind.

He became involved after that, no longer a lab rat or guinea pig.

After twelve hours the main lab looked like a bomb had struck and Tony Stark was in the middle of the research onto space bridge portals. He had only gone along because he had to - he needed to - know what had happened. Now he had taken over. There were holographic displays of complicated mathematical equations everywhere. Some were of Cybertronian origin. Others looked hybrid. Hook's own research was running parallel to what Tony had already filed away, and there were more schematics on every available screen or flat surface.

The need for sleep interrupted his work, but Tony cut that down to a minimum, and Hook knew better than to point out that the human brain could only function efficiently for so long. This was Tony Stark and he was a very special human; not unlike Sam Witwicky. You couldn't stop them. You couldn't stop their minds, Tony's genius, his brilliance.

tbc... 


	4. Chapter 4

  
Apparently there was no outside trigger, just Extremis taking down safety measures and enabling Tony's full access to whatever he could do. The Allspark had gifted him with this and it only worked when neutralized the restrictions. It was dangerous, but Tony felt a thrill run through him at the prospect of letting lose Extremis to gate.

What didn't thrill him was the lack of understanding. It felt like it was on the tip of his tongue, like he was only one step away from getting a clue, but he apparently suffered from cognitive jet lag. His mind, as brilliant as it was, had yet to catch up to events and make sense of them.

But he would. Sooner or later.

Stark had created a very detailed map in his mind of all the places he had already identified through the cracks. Part of his underground garage had been turned into a huge research facility for space bridging and a twin lab had been erected in Yuma. Hook and Scrapper were doing their best to understand the ancient technology and Tony's access to these powers, but it was proving to be a puzzle.

"Please be warned not to try this again too soon," Ratchet told him when they went over what little they knew and understood.

Scrapper nodded his agreement. "I believe that while you have the ability to see the portals, the cracks, the long-distance jumps will always drain you, no matter what. Unless you use an anchor. Then the anchor's energy will supplement yours."

It was a variation of what Tony had been lectured about endlessly already.

"I solemnly swear," was Tony's rather cranky answer.

Though he would try it. At least he knew a few things about his ability. Like the fact that for now he needed the openings, the portals, to gate. But if the old data files were correct, the ancient mechs could do it without accessing already present tunnels between places. That was his goal. He wanted to teleport for real.

From Ratchet's expression he knew he had been made. Not that the medic could do anything about it anyway. No one could.

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When he was finally alone, Tony slumped back, running a tired hand through his hair. He was exhausted, despite catching some shut-eye, and despite the fact that physically he was fine again. Rodimus seemed to appear out of nowhere and sank down beside him, blue optics alert and watching him.

"Don't worry, Roddy. I'm not about to go space-hopping."

"I hope not. At least not before you have recovered completely and have a rudimentary understanding of what this is.."

"I'm fine."

Not that the mech really believed him. Tony didn't believe himself anymore either. He leaned back, head against the wall, staring off into space.

"We both know you'll be at this again the moment you're recovered," Rodimus said conversationally.

Stark didn't answer.

"And we both know you won't stop until you know how it works."

He refused to rise to the bait.

"And you know I won't let you out of my sight."

Tony rolled his head so he could look at the still so much taller mech. "I didn't know we tied the knot, Roddy. When did that happen? While I was out? Was this some kind of weird Cybertronian ritual? Because I have to tell you, I'm not the marrying kind."

The blue optics met his gaze steadily.

"Really," Tony repeated, trying for light and failing.

He could feel Rodimus' spark pulse gently. A power source so incredible, his arc reactor paled in comparison. It wasn't as old as the sparks of Ratchet or Ironhide or Optimus Prime, but that didn't matter. It was a power source Tony had a direct link to. It scared him. It actually terrified him. He had a line into the life of another being.

"You didn't harm me on purpose," Rodimus simply said, very much aware of his thoughts. "And I'll stick around until you can handle this."

"Might be a while."

Rodimus shrugged. "Call it my assignment."

"There have to be better ways to spend your free time."

"None come to mind."

Tony groaned. He had known this already. Well, he had both feared and secretly hoped for it.

"What if this happens again?"

"We'll figure it out, Tony. I'll also keep myself well-energized."

"You're really into this whole self-sacrificing shit."

"I simply know the odds and I know you."

Tony shook his head and got to his feet. Rodimus followed him as he walked across the gigantic topside hangar and toward the exit.

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Tony could see the cracks. Fine lines in the fabric of reality. Portals that theoretically led everywhere he wanted to. He could feel them and he could see them. Some were stronger, indicating a viable portal, some were so faint, he didn't dare peek. Each time he touched the stronger one, Extremis was wide open and ready, and he reigned in the instinctual reaction of the hybrid nanites to engage.

He learned quickly.

He taught himself to rely on the arc reactor for energy. And on the armor to immediately leave subspace and protect him from a possible mishap. Like a jump through the portal when he didn't want to. He mapped the gateways, noted which ones were stronger and which ones were so weak and thin, trying them would probably not be a good idea.

It was still draining and it took a lot out of him mentally to steer through the gates. He kept himself confined to a defined area: Earth, the moon, the Ark. Once he overstepped and ended up way too close to Saturn. The few seconds he was able to look at the gigantic planet were forever imprinted in his mind.

Rodimus had threatened to tie him down for the rest of the day if he didn't cut out the experiments for a while after that.

Tony had agreed, but only because he had been ready to drop dead. Not even in his worst days as an alcoholic and the life of every party had he ever felt this bad.

He had slept for almost the whole next day, uninterrupted.

Control was flimsy sometimes and he now knew how Lennox felt with his abilities. Or Sam. He needed the exercise, but he also needed a safe environment. And he needed an anchor.

That last thought had him clam up and throw himself into his business like there was no tomorrow. Tony knew who that anchor would be and he knew it was the most logical choice. They knew each other, he was always logged onto Rodimus Prime, but he also knew how dangerous it was for the mech to be that one person Tony could return to instinctually.

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"You didn't have to ask," Rodimus told him as they sat together at Look Out Point.

Tony refused to meet the knowing optics. "This isn't just another job, Roddy. I know I complain about you baby-sitting me, but this is more than that. Way more. If my theories are correct, anchoring to you will drain you in case I'm too far and jump back to you."

"We can work on a safe procedure."

"No."

Rodimus tilted his head. "No?"

"There is no safe procedure. Going back to you means I'm in trouble up to my eyebrows and I simply jump. I won't be able to initiate anything. I'll just hop and wham!"

"We should talk to Ratchet, hear his opinion. We might want to involve Hook and Scrapper. They've been working on space bridge technology and know about energy requirements."

He was silent, looking at the waves below.

"You can do this, Tony. We can do this," Rodimus insisted. "We're in this together, like it or not. Actually, all five of us are. You're one of the Primes." He smiled. "Guardian Prime."

Tony chuckled humorlessly. "Finally got my name for good?"

"You already have a name. I think this one fits you."

"I'm not a guardian."

"You are. You protected us for all this time and you protect this planet. But it's simply a title. Your name is Anthony Edward Stark. One of the Primes. We are all interconnected and if this is something only the two of us share, so be it. I'll be your anchor, Tony."

The billionaire didn't say anything. His mind was going a thousand miles a minute and he felt Extremis stir, almost as if it reacted by instinct to his fight or flight reaction. He knew there was a crack around and he could use it, go anywhere, be somewhere else. It wouldn't change what was happening to him, to them.

He hadn't wanted this. Bridging space had sounded cool; it had sounded like an adventure. And Tony Stark was nothing if not cool and adventurous.

It had turned out to be a lot more, though. A lot more. With a lot of responsibility.

Like the Iron Man armor.

Like being a Prime.

Tony felt like he needed a really stiff drink. Actually, a whole bottle.

::No:: Roddy simply said. ::It won't solve anything::

::It would. For at least a while. Until the hangover from Hell::

::I'll pay for all the coffee and chocolate you want::

::What am I? The girl in this relationship? It's not even Valentine's so you can bribe me with chocolates:: Tony grinned at his friend, pushing the darker thoughts away.

Rodimus grinned back. "Coffee it is then," he declared and transformed, rearranging the roof into the R8 Spyder version of his chosen camouflage body.

Tony chuckled and jumped into the hideously expensive sports car. Driving with the top down was his favorite, feeling the wind in his hair, almost like flying. And with the speed Roddy could reach, it was flying.

They headed away from Tony's equally hideously expensive home and down the highway. LA wasn't far away and Stark had a meeting to go to, as much as he hated those boring business events. But it was his company, it was his money, and he had to take care of it.

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Six months after the first time Tony had accidentally gated himself and Rodimus Prime to Cybertron for a very brief moment, he had mastered his new ability to a degree. He could identify most cracks and see where portals went, though some destinations were puzzling, especially the long-distance ones. He stuck to the places around Earth. He could jump short distances and arrive exactly where he had wanted to. It was an energy draining exercise, so he kept it to a minimum. As much fun as it was, as much time as it saved him, it didn't look good for Tony Stark to end up flat on his face every time. He also needed to be in his armor, so paying a surprise visit to Pepper in her office or cutting back on flight times was a no-go.

Too bad.

That Rodimus was able to tell where exactly his friend and charge was located – and could really home in on it – had been a shock and a surprise in one. It had given Tony a few ideas, too. The ancient Primes had insisted that all of them could use this space bridging technique. Maybe Rodimus was taking the first step?

He would have to see.

Interesting times ahead, Tony thought as he doodled on his pad, ignoring the discussion all around him about the current advertising campaign of SI. He didn't miss anything, Extremis giving him eidetic memory-like abilities, almost like sound was recorded to be played back to him when he needed it. He would add his five cents, then leave the discussion again.

Yes, he would have to prod Roddy to try gating, too.

Tony grinned to himself.

It would be fun.


End file.
